Participating in a Living Nativity

Friday night and Saturday night several of our family ended up participating in a Living Nativity at the Elizabeth Bible Missionary Church.

Friday night was Crystal's 24th birthday. but she was willing to spend it with this outreach opportunity.

It was cold, so we all had to try to add costumes over  our coats. Thus, the girls came up with names for themselves such as Ample Angel, Chubby Cherub, and Skinny Seraph. 

Hannah got to be the angel on top of the stable!

And Jonathan was one of the wise men, wearing a crown over his warm winter hat!

We took along one of our goats, a few bunnies, and a few chickens to help add to the nativity.

Inside the church, the back pews were strewn with costume items! :)

After nearly two hours of standing in the cold and helping to sing along with the recording, waving at passersby and warming up with hot chocolate from a crockpot, the children were glad to take off their costumes.

The second night almost everyone was a different person in the nativity. Jonathan had come down sick, Crystal wasn't feeling well, and Sam had to be on call at the fire station, so it was the rest of us who went this time. Timmy is the middle wise man that you can hardly see. 

Carson Hallam and his fiance were the new Mary and Joseph.

 The second night, Carrie decided to take a puppy along as well.

He made lots of friends!

Ever see a puppy held by an angel?

An older couple that had come to listen last night, came the second night for a while all over again.

I let a little boy of the church, who was dressed as a little shepherd, give a handful of hay to the goat.

The nativity from a distance, with folk seated on wooden benches listening to the music and recorded Scripture reading. The pastor had recorded several Christmas Scriptures, interspersed with usually two verses of appropriate Christmas songs that had also been pre-recorded one Sunday evening by the church people. Those involved in the nativity would sing along, but the recording helped carry the music better than had we sung alone.

Angel, shepherd, and puppy.

Puppy on angel's lap. :)

Close-up.

The littlest angels warming up at the fire. 

There was a fire for those in the nativity, and another fire by the benches where listeners sat, besides a table with kerosene lamps and a crockpot of hot cocoa with a thermos of coffee, too, and treat bags to give each person who stopped by.

 

It was very well planned and played.

There would be a 15-minute segment of music interspersed with Scripture, with part of the cast acting out a few of the parts a little as they felt to do.

A wise man's crown fell off as he presented his gift, the angel on top of the stable lost her halo once, and other interesting things happened to keep us in stitches. 

It was fun!

"Mary" warming her cold feet at the fire during a break!

It was a privilege to be involved in this experience. 

I liked the rustic logs that were turned into the stable, and the log manger,

the cotton-balled sheep, and the wooden camels and donkey.

It was all very well done.

Hopefully this won't be the last time we are involved in such an activity!